Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for the opportunity to address the House on this important debate, which deals with the despatch of our Defence Forces to Chad. I wish our troops well and a safe mission.

This mission is very important and, as has been clear in the media, Chad is an extremely dangerous place to go. I am confident that our soldiers will act in an independent and professional manner. I wish to take this opportunity to commend the work done by our troops, particularly the United Nations forces, in the past 30 or 40 years in places such as Liberia and the Middle East. Irish soldiers have died on these peacekeeping missions but they served international peace and their country well. I stress that they gave their lives for peace and always retained their independence and integrity and this is something we should keep in mind during this important debate.

We all have concerns relating to this mission but it has a UN mandate and is being commanded by Lieutenant General Pat Nash. We are sending 400 troops and the total group will consist of 4,000 troops. It is important that UN peacekeeping missions remain part of Irish foreign policy. Last week concerns were expressed relating to the availability of aircraft needed to transport troops in the regions and the availability of medical teams for the mission. These issues are being addressed at the moment and are close to being resolved because it is important that before we send troops into such a situation the necessary preparations have been made and that medical backup is available. I wish Lieutenant General Pat Nash the best and hope he is satisfied that the proper precautions will be in place for our soldiers.

We must understand, however, that the 400 Irish troops and their UN colleagues are being deployed to assist with the delivery of humanitarian aid and the protection of displaced persons and not to take sides in any conflict. The key to this debate is understanding the purpose of the mission as I outlined because hostilities in Chad are an internal matter. Ireland is expected to commit approximately €60 million to the year-long mission and, while this is a huge expense of which we must be conscious, it is money spent on a decent cause. As Members of the Oireachtas we must ensure we account for money spent on these missions because in many other countries money that could often be spent in other areas such as health and education is squandered on military weaponry. It is important that we are open and honest about this during the debate.

When one examines the details of this conflict one learns there are now more than 180,000 people from Chad internally displaced and 236,000 Sudanese refugees in camps in eastern Chad. Approximatelly 170,000 people have been forced to flee their homes since September 2005 and more than 43,000 refugees from the Central African Republic are in Chad. Some 20,000 people are believed to have fled to Cameroon. Malnutrition has reached alarming levels, particularly among children, and the nightmare that is war is evident throughout the region. Once again families are suffering — men, women and children, the vast majority of whom are innocent victims.

Given the massive wealth and resources available to us in the West, it is unacceptable that we cannot feed and care for children in Africa and other areas. Some 400 of our troops will take part in this humanitarian mission and it is important that we give them our maximum support. No child should suffer from malnutrition, and that should be the focus for all of us.

It is important that we set out our stall in terms of our role in the United Nations and our vision for the future of our foreign policy. I have a clear vision of the role of Irish troops in UN missions. It is within the OSCE and a reformed UN, rather than the EU, that Ireland should pursue its security concerns. We should pursue a policy of positive neutrality and independent foreign policy and avoid joining or forming an association with NATO or any other military alliance. I am strongly of the view that Ireland should seek to promote European and international security through a policy of disarmament and demilitarisation and should therefore oppose all instances of militarisation, particularly within the EU. Ireland should refuse to co-operate with or condone decisions, policies or military groupings that maintain nuclear weapons or any weapons of mass destruction. Irish troops should only serve abroad as peacekeepers under the auspices of the UN.

These are the elements of my view on foreign policy and I ask that they be considered as part of today's debate. Other political parties and individuals have another vision, with which I strongly disagree. It is important that we focus on the purpose of this discussion, which is peacekeeping in the region and assisting those at risk. It is a question of protecting people's lives and facilitating humanitarian aid. I am convinced from listening to Army members, particularly soldiers in my constituency and family members, that they wish to implement a strong, humanitarian and independent foreign policy position on these types of missions. They have shown this before in areas such as the Middle East, where they were respected by all communities and where some paid with their lives. Irish troops built relationships with communities in conflict situations. That is the way forward for the Army and for the UN. I urge the Government to take these views on board. This is my clear policy position and these are my political objectives.

This mission is dangerous but it is important that there are cool and calm heads. The Army's experience in Liberia and the Middle East, and even as far back as the Congo, allowed our troops, through difficult circumstances, to gain significant experience of conflict situations. For a small country, we have made a significant impact on the international stage. The experience, training and leadership offered by these 400 troops will be significant.

Many of us are in favour of radical reform of the UN. Some of the criticism to which it has been subjected is valid. We in Ireland must be more proactive, and so must the UN. There are many good people involved in that organisation and countries like Ireland with sensible foreign policies. We must, however, bring the larger nations with us. Some of this work has commenced but it must become a priority. Like many of my colleagues, I am of the view that the priority must always be peacekeeping and humanitarian endeavour. We must be more proactive within the UN in regard to conflict resolution.

We can learn from our own experiences abroad, whether in the Middle East, Liberia or the Congo. We can also learn from the experience of some 30 years of conflict on this island, which resulted in more than 3,000 deaths. We have no need to hide behind the door when it comes to assisting other countries. I welcome the establishment by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, of the conflict resolution unit. This is an issue on which I focussed in the talks leading to my agreement with the Taoiseach. This unit could make a major contribution to the development of sensible foreign policy and to assisting in the resolution of foreign conflicts. We should not be ashamed to use our own experience of the peace process.

On 25 September, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution No. 1778 establishing the UN mission in Chad and the Central African Republic. This will strengthen security in the region. Above all, I am hopeful that it will save lives. Since 2004, eastern Chad has hosted, in 12 different camps, some 240,000 Sudanese refugees who fled the fighting in Darfur. I wish our troops well in this important mission. I hope they will all be safe and I commend them on their valuable work.

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